Entrepreneurship

News about Entrepreneurship, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 19, 2015

Handful of entrepreneurs are managing to thrive in debt-ridden Greece, providing glimmer of hope for economy and younger generation even as country prepares for further austerity measures and tough regulatory changes; such ventures, while not limited by ideology or constraints of traditional industry, nonetheless face challenges. MORE

Jul. 17, 2015

Ride service Uber has become unanticipated surrogate for both Democratic and Republican presidential hopefuls; after leading era of on-demand economy, Uber has taken spotlight in debate between liberals and conservatives over future of work, obligations of business owners and necessity of workplace regulation. MORE

Jul. 13, 2015

Investments in technology start-ups in Asia have risen as quickly as in United States; 46 start-ups in first half of 2015 have raised at least $100 million, and 11 are valued at $1 billion or more, including China's Apus Group. MORE

Jul. 2, 2015

The Upshot; study by researchers at University of California, Berkley, Haas School of Business finds most tech start-up founders are older, with more education and work experience, than previously assumed; Bloomberg Beta, tech investment firm, had teamed with Haas researchers to create program Future Founders, which could identify for venture capitalists entrepreneurs likely to succeed; research findings broaden pool. MORE

Jun. 19, 2015

James B Stewart Common Sense column observes that wave of European antitrust investigations into American tech giants may provide clues into why Continent's tech sector lags behind that of the United States; observes that Silicon Valley has always been marked by culture of entrepreneurial fearlessness that is relatively absent in Europe; cites structural barriers to innovation and an inhibiting fear of failure. MORE

Jun. 19, 2015

Regulatory shift involving rule known as Regulation A will allow smaller companies to raise up to $50 million by selling equity shares to investors of more modest means; change is intended to give companies an alternative to venture capital even if they have not yet had, or never plan on having, an initial public offering; practice has come to be referred to as 'mini IPOs' MORE

Jun. 18, 2015

Kauffman Foundation, which issues annual analysis and ranking of start-up activity in all states, says Montana is number one in business creation. MORE

Jun. 12, 2015

Cuba's outsourcing sector is open for American business in response to thawed diplomatic relations between country's, giving a boost to Cuban entrepreneurship. MORE

Jun. 10, 2015

Goldman Sachs' close relationship with data analytics startup Kensho highlights increased willingness by Wall Street titans to court small tech firms that they once shunned; largest banks have historically done most technological development in-house, but recognition is spreading that ignoring upstarts can be foolhardy. MORE

Jun. 7, 2015

The Upshot; campaigns in the 2016 presidential contest bear striking resemblance to fast-paced world of tech startups; both require building large, sophisticated teams in matter of months, though campaigns enter multibillion-dollar stratosphere even more quickly; both are driven by range of motivations, including an idealistic desire to change the world along with less noble desires for wealth and power. MORE

May. 28, 2015

Family businesses are often passed down from generation to generation, but increasingly, successful entrepreneurs seem to be encouraging their children to create their own start-ups, often from an early age. MORE

May. 27, 2015

Eduardo Porter Economic Scene column examines whether government should seek return on its investment in basic scientific research, observing that change could potentially help stem decline in federal investment; notes that in era of tight budgets, public investment in research has declined significantly; cautions that some observers say proposal could also harm innovation. MORE

May. 21, 2015

Farhad Manjoo State of the Art column observes tech world once again has big visions for future, as it did in the late 1990s, but holds current boom is based on rise in so-called on-demand services and apps targeted at wealthy and young; contends it is unlikely that new on-demand start-ups will attain enough growth to enable reduced prices for ordinary consumers. MORE

May. 14, 2015

Profile of credit risk manager Jerry Weiss, newcomer to staff at Manhattan start-up small-business lender Bond Street; at age 57, many of Weiss's colleagues are half his age. MORE

May. 11, 2015

Uber is one of several start-ups that have raised large amounts of money over past few months, as companies launch frequent fund-raising rounds; trend highlights how quickening pace of Silicon Valley's current technological boom has also sped up rate of start-up financing, driven by cash flowing in from hedge funds, strategic investors and others. MORE

May. 3, 2015

Some entrepreneurs in Algeria hope that country's falling oil prices will spur growth of other types of industry, as nation is forcibly weaned off its dependence on oil money. MORE

Apr. 19, 2015

IIan Zechory and Tom Lehman, founders of Genius.com, Brooklyn-based start-up that allows its users to annotate song lyrics and other text available on Internet, are undergoing couples therapy in effort to save their business partnership; many young technology entrepreneurs have sought counseling to work out their differences. MORE

Apr. 3, 2015

Chinese billionaire Zhang Lei and his firm Hillhouse Capital Group represents China's new class of entrepreneurs, who are looking to United States for more investment opportunities; as young MBA he persuaded Yale to give him $20 million to invest from its endowment, and his confident investors include sovereign wealth funds and wealthy entrepreneurs. MORE

Apr. 2, 2015

Banking industry has spent the last three decades working to establish a foothold in world of financial services in Silicon Valley, rich spawning ground for start-ups, high level initial public offerings and high-tech conglomerates; in latest evolution of the relationship, many of Wall Street's largest firms have started investing client money in Silicon Valley start-ups, and have been helping tech companies stay private longer as valuations zoom. MORE

Apr. 2, 2015

Group of financial advisers and backers who all made their fortunes in PayPal, payments company that went public in 2002, have had an undeniable influence on some of Silicon Valley's most valuable technology start-ups; familiar set of names, known to some as the PayPal Mafia, have all continued to invest in each other's companies and in extremely successful ventures that have included Airbnb, Uber and Pinterest. MORE

Apr. 2, 2015

San Francisco-based ZenPayroll has gone from simply raising millions for start-up clients through network of 'angel' investors, to tapping those same technology executives for help in developing skill areas like marketing, corporate culture and technology; founder and chief executive Joshua Reeves says he shapes the contributions of investors in such a way that they take on the roles of company builders and problem solvers. MORE

Apr. 2, 2015

Finding reasonably priced office space that reflects their company's culture can be a tough task for tech start-up companies in San Francisco; average rent for office space in city has more than doubled in past five years, with venture capital and city's limits on construction pushing commercial real estate market to high point. MORE

Apr. 2, 2015

Demographics of Silicon Valley are changing significantly as growing number of venture capital firms are led by women, offering broader and more diverse networks for identifying and funding start-ups. MORE

Apr. 2, 2015

Nasdaq OMX Group is building Entrepreneurial Center in San Francisco's South Financial District; project's intent is to provide entrepreneurs with a space that offers educational forums and classes, networking space and events and video broadcasting facilities; center is one more weapon in Nasdaq's fight for growing number of partnerships with privately backed start-ups headed toward new lives as public companies. MORE

Apr. 2, 2015

Silicon Valley Bank claims to have captured the business of 65 percent of all existing start-ups and many of the most well-known venture capital firms; bank's strategy to expand its offerings to hold onto tech companies as they grow has brought it into increasingly heated competition with large banks seeking a hold in the booming tech world. MORE

Mar. 19, 2015

Creative entrepreneurs who have been successful using crowd-funding sites like Kickstarter to fund their projects often do not consider tax implications of money they receive; Internal Revenue Service considers these entrepreneurs small businesses, and will tax them accordingly. MORE

Mar. 5, 2015

The Upshot; many cities around the country are trying to rebrand themselves as newest high-tech innovation hub, but only those that feature a special mix of factors, like a good research university or cross-industry collaborations, are likely to compete with Silicon Valley. MORE

Feb. 14, 2015

European tech entrepreneurs are adapting to a marketplace dominated by their vastly overfunded American competitors by focusing on niche or local markets. MORE

Feb. 10, 2015

Federal Aviation Administration, in response to request from entrepreneur Bigelow Aerospace, says it will ensure that American companies do not interfere with one another on moon or elsewhere in space; move, while it does not grant ownership over portions of moon or violate 1967 Outer Space Treaty, provides framework for future business operations in space. MORE

Feb. 9, 2015

Vietnam's high-tech industry is booming, but some analysts are concerned that new and pending government regulations, which dictate how businesses must be run, may hurt growth and entrepreneurship. MORE

Jan. 31, 2015

Teenage achievers gather at Madrid conference on European youth in business; speakers like 15-year-old Jordan Casey from Ireland offer pep talks to young and business-minded facing possible hurdles. MORE

Dec. 28, 2014

Chip Tate, founder and president of Balcones artisanal distillery in Waco, Tex, found investment capital to expand successful business, but after unusual dispute with new investors, he was forced out of company; strange situation has put whiskey aficionados, distillers and potential investors on alert. MORE

Dec. 18, 2014

Some start-ups are moving away from traditional office spaces, holding that spaces like residential townhouses foster more creative thinking. MORE

Dec. 11, 2014

You're the Boss blog; interview with Daniel Fine, founder and chief executive of Glass-U, who discusses how he got started in entrepreneurship. MORE

Dec. 8, 2014

Hundreds of Balkan entrepreneurs have begun tech start-ups, turning poor, formerly communist part of Europe into center for Internet-based innovation; obstacles to taking their businesses global, however, include competition from other European start-up destinations, lack of government incentives and little business experience. MORE

Dec. 4, 2014

Many entrepreneurs have decided that business plans take too long to write and become outdated too quickly and opt to skip the plan, which they consider an old economy relic; trend is especially true in world of technology start-ups. MORE

Nov. 27, 2014

Mobile businesses are on the rise across the United States as entrepreneurs embrace lower overhead and freedom to change locations; trend, which began with food trucks, now encompasses mobile clothing boutiques and jewelers; average start-up cost for such businesses is around $20,000 to $30,000. MORE

Nov. 23, 2014

Stacia Carr, co-founder of online video startup Vidnex, is among small business owners benefiting from Spanish law that grants business visas to foreign entrepreneurs; measure is part of Spain's effort to revamp domestic business amid recession, and offers start-ups a tempting alternative to hyper-saturated environment of Silicon Valley. MORE

Nov. 16, 2014

Adam Davidson article highlights company Weird Stuff, which has thrived by acquiring goods from technology start-ups that fail; says company is a reminder that innovation, by necessity, is inextricably linked with failure. MORE

Nov. 9, 2014

Failure has become a badge of honor among some Silicon Valley start-ups, as entrepreneurs publicly trumpet how they have faced adversity head-on; sentiment has emerged steadily in an industry where an estimated 70 to 80 percent of venture-backed start-ups do not deliver their projected return on investment. MORE

Sep. 18, 2014

Alibaba has generously handed out stock to all levels of workers, creating a wealth diaspora rarely seen in China. MORE

Aug. 24, 2014

Claire Cain Miler It's the Economy column notes that rise of number of start-up on-demand delivery services has investors wondering whether idea will work this time around, or fail as it did spectacularly in early 2000s. MORE

Aug. 19, 2014

Soaring costs of professional conferences have prompted striving entrepreneurs to crash business conferences in attempt to network without having to pay fees. MORE

Jul. 19, 2014

Thousands of entrepreneurs, investors and job-seekers are flocking to Washington and Colorado with hopes of capitalizing on legal marijuana industry; business is booming, with sales expected to rise to $2.6 billion this year, but risks remain high as well; many enthusiasts have found themselves caught up in red tape, waiting lists, lack of capital and outright fraud. MORE

Jul. 3, 2014

Start-up nondisclosure agreements have long been falling by the wayside, as swift action trumps legal shields in Silicon Valley; guidelines to consider are presented, and apply when engaging not just investors, but also manufacturers, partners and even customers. MORE

Jun. 22, 2014

Peter Semple, who started clothing label Golden Axe London with his brother Richard Semple, is part of a new breed of male clothing designers, tech-savvy entrepreneurs with passion for fashion; idea behind their designs is to create comfortable clothing that looks nice and fits well. MORE

Jun. 18, 2014

Pres Obama acts as a pitchman for entrepreneurs, fielding questions from group of small-business owners in an attempt to highlight creative ways to bolster manufacturing; comes as administration announces program that helps provide entrepreneurs access to more than $5 billion in advanced manufacturing equipment. MORE

Jun. 14, 2014

What can go wrong in turning a bold idea into a business? A start-up company’s creative team counts the speed bumps. MORE

Jun. 9, 2014

May. 17, 2014

Business ventures between younger and older partners are defying persistent stereotypes about battles over jobs in shaky economy; different skill sets among multigenerational individuals are proving to have merit, often revealing themselves as secrets to success of businesses. MORE

Alexa von Tobel dropped out of Harvard Business School to start her financial planning service, LearnVest. Now with more than 150 employees, Ms. von Tobel says she often sees that people don’t dream big enough.